


The Companions Three

by Charbonne



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Comfort, Community: norsekink, Friendly Plotting, Friendship, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-23
Updated: 2012-10-23
Packaged: 2017-11-16 22:03:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/544323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charbonne/pseuds/Charbonne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for a Norsekink prompt. Everyone always assumes that Thor's the only one with friends. What happens when some of Loki's friends decide to help out during the events of 'Thor'?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Companions Three

**Author's Note:**

> Please excuse me if I happen to completely ruin myth and movie canon as I wrote this, since I decided to tweak a myth or two for the final product. Enjoy!
> 
> The original prompt can be found here: http://norsekink.livejournal.com/11219.html?thread=24956627#t24956627

Baldur couldn't help it. He had seen his friend at his lowest, even when he was informed that he should stay far away, that he was no good. But Baldur cannot help but see the good in everyone, even if that person is the Liesmith himself.

What had started as simple dreams had exploded into chaos when they had been younger. Simple dreams that were nightmares that he was going to die. When he told his mother, she made it her duty to find a a way to save him. The spell she cast had made him impervious to all things.

However, it also had a bit of an effect upon Baldur. He grew cocky, convinced that he was invincible. Everyone made a game of it by throwing things at him. They all laughed when the objects bounced off. 

Until Loki, that is. He had just taken one chance to make a throw, stating that Baldur had become an arrogant fool. The resulting coma that Baldur had ended up in from the mistletoe however changed Baldur's perspective. 

When he woke from it, he pleaded with the Allfather for leniency, and apologized profusely to Loki when he was released from his punishment. Now Baldur could only wince in sympathy and shame whenever he viewed his best friend shirtless, a reminder that Baldur had caused Loki's pain and he decided to work to make sure that he would never hurt Loki the same way again.

Currently, however, Loki seemed to be freaking out. Loki had just recieved the throne while Odin slept, and he seemed more jumpy than normal. What's worse, Baldur had come upon him in the throne room sobbing, and it took taking Loki down to the feast hall and getting several pints into Loki to get him to calm down.

Loki wouldn't really speak about it. However, his occasional mutterances of 'monster' and staring at his hands caused the golden man no amount of heartache. He didn't wish for Loki to fel the way he did, and decided to try and find the root of it.

"It isn't the end of the world, you know. I'm sure the Allfather will awaken soon, and Thor will return. Come now, what could trouble you so, Loki?"

By this point, Loki was into his fourth pint of mead, and at hearing Baldur's statement, bristled and pulled away. "You know nothing," he hissed.

Baldur frowned, pulling a bit away and crossing his arms. "All right then, educate me. Why all this talk about a monster?"

Baldur was thankful that the hall was empty at the moment, for Loki flew toward the golden man, his hands twisting into his tunic and forcing Baldur into a wall. His breath reeked of mead, and his expression murderous. "You wish to know? Really?" He gave a weak laugh, letting Baulder go and gazing down at his hands. "I _am_ a monster, Baldur. The very thing that the children flee from. A Jotun!"

Had it been anyone else, Baldur would have laughed. However, the look on his friend's face was as serious as he could tell, and he could tell that Loki was this close to the edge. "Well then, if you are such a monster, prove it!"

Loki blinked, a bit thrown. "What?"

"If you're a monster, prove it Loki. Though you would have a hard time convincing me. If anyone's a monster, it would be me. After all, it was my arrogance that caused you torture, so if you're going off of who's done worse, I daresay I can take the prize."

Loki looked completely blindsided by the admission, and Baldur grinned, tossing an arm over his shoulder. "Besides, the Jotnar aren't despicable or ugly, if they produced you."

Somehow, that statement caused Loki to shove at Baldur, and the two of them left the hall. While Loki still looked troubled, he was no longer the mess that Baldur encountered.

-

Idunn loved working in her orchard, had loved it since she had discovered them in her youth. She took great pride in the work she did, and it showed in the golden apples the trees produced, rich, sweet, and juicy.

So it was no wonder that she had been kidnapped and taken by the Jotun Thjazi when she was younger, taken by the Liesmith himself to a place where the creature could take her. He had been entranced by her apples, and wished them himself. 

It was Loki that saved her, however. Only a boy, he had been snatched up by Thjazi and threatened with harm until he agreed to bring Idunn to him. Loki, however, had been clever enough to return to Thjazi's palace in the form of a falcon, taking her back and luring the Jotun to his demise.

Most people couldn't see how Loki, a boy at the cusp of manhood, could do such a thing. Idunn could. He was a sorcerer, and while raised in a warrior society, was often spoken about rudely, comparing him to a woman. However, it had taken Idunn's heartfelt thanks to break the ice between the two, and Idunn herself felt no anger later when she'd catch him in the orchard, munching on her apples, as usually he'd help out with tending the trees. He never admitted it, and she never announced it, so the two would often be seen chatting in the orchard, her giving him subtle hints and he absorbing them eagerly.

So it caused her some grief to catch him amongst the trees, angrily throwing what he could around and swearing about fools. In Idunn's opinion, he has a hard person to anger, usually keeping to himself and only expressing his displeasure in the form of pranks. She stood by, merely listening to his grievances.

"How could they do this? The fools! They would run off and try and cause a war, ignoring my express command!"

Idunn cleared her throat. "Loki, I don't think that the apples have caused you distress, now have they? They haven't caused a war that I am aware of."

Loki flushed as he turned toward her, looking much like the child she once saw him as. He fropped the apple he was going to hurl against a tree and slumped down underneath the tree instead. "Forgive me," he said quietly, looking guiltily at the ruins of apples around him.

Idunn sat beside him, a small smile gracing her lips as she settled her skirts. ""As I recall, the last time I saw you look this angry, you had just gotten your lips sewn shut. Don't tell me that Brokkr has returned to do the job again?"

Loki looked over, cheeks flushed with anger. "Oh no. If only it were the dwarf. Then this betrayal would make sense!"

Idunn simply rose an eyebrow. "Now what is this about betrayal? If I recall, no one has betrayed anyone recently, at least as far as I can tell."

"It's Sif and the Warriors Three! They decided to go after my brother, clearly disobeying my express command about leaving Thor to his punishment for his actions in Jotunheimr!"

It was at that moment that Idunn realized that there was a spear leaning against one of the trees. Gungnir, to be exact. Her mouth formed an 'oh' as she suddenly understood the prince's frustration. "So what are you planning to do?"

His eyes shot up, surprise and distrust evident on his face. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, if it were me, I would just deny them the Bifrost to travel. If they disobeyed your express command, then perhaps they would be better suited to stay with Thor." A bit of a glint appeared in her eyes, and Loki was suddenly caught with the reason why she was the goddess of youth.

"Essentially banishment, then, the same as Thor?"

"Well, you said it, my prince. I am sorry, my king. They would probably learn something if they had to stay down there for a while." 

She smiled, and she could tell that Loki's original fury was dying down. "You know, I believe that is an excellent idea." The smirk that appeared on his face spoke volumes, and she was glad for it.

"Come now, how about we go and make sure the gatekeeper understands that, hmm? Then later, you can help me with some things here." Idunn was glad that she'd managed to distract the prince. Who knew what kind of mischief he could have concocted if he'd been left to stew on his anger.

-

Uller was a magnificent archer. He also had a magnificent wife. He alone was probably one of the most accepting gods amongst the Aesir, since his wife was of Jotnar stock. Skadi was of course married before, but that didn't bother him, for the two of them had found common interests that they could share, and they loved each other the more for it.

Of course, such relationships had a rocky beginning. She had originally been married off to Njord, having demanded as weregild for her father Thjazi's death to laugh and wed an Aesir. Unfortunately, while the laughing was easy (leave it to a young impish adolescent to know how to make a woman laugh), the marriage was not. Njord adored the sea, while Skadi longed for the mountans and snow like her beloved home.

Of course when she left him, she was forced with the option of leaving Asgard forever. However, Uller had seen a kindred spirit, a lover of the hunt and the snows, who could keep up with his jaunts through the mountains easily. He needed a reason to get her attentions, and the very same lad who had made her laugh suggested an option.

The lad, Loki, had known how to make her laugh, though the method was a bit humiliating in Uller's opinion. However, he could not for the life of him figure out why Loki's suggestion had been to go hunting in a particular part of his wood. He soon found out, however, when he found himself trussed up by an ankle in a tree, trying to get up enough that he could saw his way through the rope holding him.

He didn't get far, for at that moment, Loki had appeared with Skadi in tow. The blue-skinned woman took one look at his predicament and, with a bit of a wry smile, offered to cut him down. Uller of course, tried to refuse, but Skadi didn't listen. And that's how Uller had ended up being carried like a baby through the woods, having been caught by the giantess and her decision that why yes, it was a wonderful idea to go ahead and have a stroll. It did help that the two bonded later over shared stories and a felled deer.

So it was no surprise when Skadi came into the room they were using at the palace (having been invited to the coronation, and then deciding to help out if necessary as an advisor) dragging a particularly blue Loki with her.

Blue blue, he realized, glancing from her to the prince, noticing that they both shared red eyes and the same shade of skin. Well, he thought, that explained why Loki didn't look a thing like his parents. He frowned, however, giving his wife a sharp look, trying to understand what his wife was doing with the current king-regent.

"Uller, you would not believe what this _barn_ was doing!" She was furious, and was nearly ready to shake the prince in frustration. 

"Oh?"

"He tried to bring that _tosk_ Laufey into the realm!" Uller's eyebrows rose in surprise.

Loki, who by this point was tired of being dragged around, broke out of Skadi's grasp, glaring. "You dare," he hissed.

Skadi threw him a look. "Of course I dare. One look at your family lines and he would have known exactly who you were!"

"A son of Odin!"

"Laufey's runt that was left to die!" Skadi's voice was firm. "Amongst us Jotnar, runts are slain, and to think that had he touched you, he would have known his shame to be alive and well, and _do you know what would have happened?"_

Loki sputtered in anger, but Uller was wise enough to understand. "He would have slain Loki on sight. It wouldn't have mattered what Loki could have done, the whole of Jotunheimr would have come down upon Asgard to erase what obviously would have been a slight against their king."

Skadi nodded, her eyes firmly on Loki's. "He would have had to end you to cover the fact that his get was a runt, that he was capable of producing runts."

Loki's eyes had widened in horror. Now that Skadi's hands were off him, his skin, which had gone back to Aesir pink, paled considerably. "He would have had me slain, for simply exsisting?"

Skadi nodded. Uller's face fell into his hands, trying to come up with a single reason for this seeming madness to drop into his lap. "Why were you trying to get the king of the Jotnar here in the first place?"

Loki slumped. "To prove that I wasn't a monster, that I was an Odinson."

Uller sighed. He knew that it took a lot for Loki to admit some things like that, but with his wife and him, the younger man had found a safe haven from some of the vitriol of court. They would call him unnatural, and then Skadi would stride straight into the halls, wearing her blue skin and markings proudly. Uller loved her even more for that.

"You're a monster?" Skadi looked unimpressed. "Really? What does that make me, a bilgesnipe?"

Loki's eyes widened. "No, I didn't mean it that way!"

Uller could have kissed his wife. "It kind of sounded that way, my king." He grinned.

Loki's face fell, and he buried it into his hands. "I didn't mean it that way."

"You wish to know a better way to deal with being what you are, then?" Skadi's eyes shone in merriment, and all Uller could recall was the fact the look only promised embarassment for whoever it was directed at.

-

It was a month before Thor returned to Asgard. Enough time for him to regain his honor, and for Sif and the others to convince Heimdall to allow them to pass through the Bifrost. It was also enough time for a scandal to erupt in court, one that involved a certain younger prince and his true parentage.

Baldur of course was in attendance on the court, nearly grinning in delight at the thought of his best friend finally looking happy with himself. Thankfully, the scars of snake venom were less noticable in Loki's natural form than his Aesir one, and despite Loki's earlier protests, he found that his natural appearance looked more right for him. Then again, it was known that Baldur was a good man, but prone to look for the good in everyone.

Idunn was pleased to see her young friend in a much better state than when she had come across him in her orchard. No longer angry, he was calmer, and more at peace with everyone around her. Then again, he had probably pulled off his biggest prank yet, and for that, she was glad that while the court would gossip for centuries about this revalation, it was a harmless one. At least one that did no injury to someone's being. The Allfather's reputation, however, would rebound, just as it always did.

Uller and Skadi were grinning like madmen. Loki had decided to take Skadi's suggestion at Uller's insistence. It was a simple one, and one that apparently the king, when he awoke, had apporved of, albeit slightly in embarassment. Frigga had pronounced it a stroke of genius when she had heard, and was at that moment standing next to her son, daring anyone to make any comment about the situation. Not that anyone would dare. Skadi had laughed herself silly at some of the expressions in court.

When Thor strode into the hall, he faltered, his gaze levelled straight at his brother. His rather blue brother. He blinked for a moment or two, disbelief causing his mouth to open much like a fish.

Sif and the Warriors Three strode in afterward, though their steps too faltered, and all any of them could say was, "Now that's unexpected."

Everyone's gaze fell to Volstagg, who seemed to find himself suddenly interested in his beard. Odin coughed gently, bringing everyone's attention back to the matter at hand.

"Thor Odinson, you have proven your worth. I am glad to announce that your time in banishment is over, and that you are welcome back in Asgard."

"Father, there's a Jotun standing beside Mother."

Loki rolled his eyes. Skadi snorted, and Baldur sighed in exasperation. Uller and Idunn's expressions were ones of mirth. However, it was Odin's long-suffering sigh that caught everyone's attention. "We are all aware of that fact, my son."

Thor blinked. "But he's standing in Loki's place. Where's my brother?"

Skadi just started to laugh. Even Idunn couldn't seem to contain her chuckles, while Odin put his face in his hands.

"Thor, that is your brother."

Sif pushed forward. "But Loki let the Jotnar into the palace. He was plotting treason!"

"All of which the court already knows." Loki snorted. "Oh, and thank you for bringing that up again, Lady Sif. It's nice to know precisely why my magic has been sealed in punishment, _again."_

Frigga decided to speak up, more to save her eldest son further embarassment. "Thor, dear, I believe there is something we need to talk about."

It was too bad that the discussion was private, though Loki later related to his friends that the expression on his brother's face when Thor learned the truth was definitely priceless.

**Author's Note:**

> In retrospect, I honestly should have named this The Companions 4, since originally Skadi wasn't going have a big part, but ended up really making a point.


End file.
